The fixteen plays (continues our editor) which are not in thefe volumes, remained unpublished till the Folio in the year 1623, though the compiler of a work called Theatrical Records, mentions different fingle editions of every one of them before that time. But as no other of the editors could ever meet with fuch, nor has any one else pretended to have seen them, I think myself at liberty to fuppofe the compiler fupplied the defects of the lift out of his own imagination; fince he must have had fingular good fortune to have been poffeffed of two or three different copies of all, when neither editors nor collectors, in the course of near fifty years, have been able fo much as to obtain the fight of one of the number. At the end of the last volume I have added a tragedy of king Leir, published before that of Shakespeare, which it is not improbable he might have seen, as the father kneeling to the daughter, when the kneels to ask his bleffing, is found in it; a circumstance two poets were not very likely to have hit on feparately; and which feems borrowed by the latter with his ufual judgment, it being the most natural paffage in the old play; and is introduced in such a manner as to make it fairly his own. The ingenious editor of The Reliques of ancient Poetry having never met with this play, and as it is not preserved in Mr. Garrick's collection, I thought it a curiofity worthy the notice of the public. I have likwife reprinted Shakespeare's Sonnets, from a copy published in 1609, by G. Eld, one of the printers of his plays; which added to the confideration that they made their appearance with his name, and in his life-time, feems to be no flender proof of their authenticity. The fame evidence might operate in favour of feveral more plays which are omitted here, out of refpect to the judgment of thofe who had omitted them before.' With all due fubmiflion to Mr. Steevens, we are of opinion that every edition of any play of Shakespeare is retrievable, with a little industry; but they are not to be fought for in modern collections. They must be dug out of the rubbish of old libraries, belonging to ancient English families, where fuch publications often lie neglected and unnoticed, under the title of old and antiquated. We know of only one play that was totally fuppreffed, and that was the tragedy of Gowry's Confpiracy, written by order of James I. His majesty always took care to exhibit himself and the real perfonages of the play, at the fame time that the mock perfonages were brought upon the stage. Sir Robert Cecil took great pains to convince James of the abfurdity of fuch an entertainment, and at laft prevailed with him to to fupprefs it, and all the copies of the play. We are partly indebted for this little theatrical anecdote to Winwood's Memorials. For the reader's fatisfaction, we here fubjoin the plays republished by this gentleman, with the dates of their editions. Volume the Firft. Containing, A Midfommer Night's Dreame, 1600 A pleasant comedy of the Merry Wives of Windfor, 1619 The troublesome Raigne of King John. In Two Parts. 1611 Volume the Third. Containing, The Chronicle Hiftory of Henry the Fifth, The Contention of the Two famous Houses of Lancaster 1608 Volume the Fourth. Containing, The most excellent Tragedie of Romeo and Juliet, The most lamentable Tragedie of Romeo and Juliet, The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmarke, 1597 1609 1611 1622 1609 1609 IV. The VOL. XXI. January, 1766. IV. The Hiftory of the Colony of Mafachufet's-Bay, from the firft Settlement thereof in 1628, until its Incorporation with the Colony of Plimouth, Province of Main, &c. by the Charter of King William and Queen Mary, in 1691. By Mr. Hutchinson, Lieutenant-Governor of the Maffachufet's Province. The Second Edition, 8vo. Pr. 6s. Robinfon and Roberts. TH HE colonics of North America are now become of fo much importance, that their hiftory is well worth our moft attentive perufal. The volume before us gives fuch an account of the unconquerable perfeverance with which the firft fettlers of the colony of the Maffachufets maintained their freedom, as will, if properly confidered, deter us from attempting to wrest it from their pofterity, who seem to inherit the fame undaunted spirit, and invincible love of liberty. However different the religion, the manners, the temper, and the genius of the different colonies may be, they all agree in the fame free fpirit, which they poffefs from their ancestors ; who were themselves as totally diffimilar in every respect, but in an unshaken refolution to maintain their liberties from violation, though at the expence of refigning every neceffary and every pleafure which fociety, arts, and elegance furnish; and encountering every hardship which an unknown, unhofpitable, and favage land fhould oppofe to them. Never was there a more glorious facrifice to liberty; a facrifice which, in former ages, would have even deified its votaries.. ter. The hiftory before us (as the author is pleafed to file it, though more properly a chronicle of tranfactions) has undergone a fecond edition, and is clear in its file, and fenfible in its matMr. Hutchinfon carries his account of the colony from the firft effectual. fettlement made at New-Plimouth, in the year 1620, to the year 1692. The transactions which that space of time furnish, are curious for their frangeness and variety, and inftructive from their confequences. When we read of the astonishing hardships and dangers which the Grft fettlers encountered, and the wifdom and fortitude with which they overcame them, fo as to found fuch a profperous and ufeful colony, under good and wife regulations, we fhall learn to revere the forefathers of the Americans, and to esteem their pofterity. It fhews fome little fortitude, fays Mr. Hutchinfon, in a man in health and vigour, who goes through the fatigues of a long voyage, and fpends but a few months in a wilder wilderness, among favages, and in a climate more fevere than he had ever experienced. What must we think, then, of perfons of rank and good circumftances in life, bidding a final adieu to all the conveniencies and delights of England, their native country; and expofing themselves, their wives and children, to inevitable hardfhips and fufferings, in a long voyage across the Atlantic, to land upon a moft inhofpitable fhore, deftitute of any kind of building to fecure them from the inclemency of the weather, and of moft forts of foods to which they had been used at their former home '.' What the real hardfhips were which they fuftained, and how dreadfully fevere, may be feen in the following paffage, which describes what befel the colonifts after their firft landing: The weather held tolerable until the 24th of December; but the cold then came on with violence. Such a Christmaseve they had never feen before. From that time to the 10th of February, their chief care was to keep themselves warm, and as comfortable in other refpects as their scant provifions would permit. The poorer fort were much expofed, lying in tents and miserable hovels; and many of them died of the fcurvy and other diftempers. They were fo fhort of provisions,, that many were obliged to live upon clams, muffels, and other fhell-fish, with ground nuts and acorns inftead of bread. One that came to the governor's houfe to complain of his fufferings, was prevented, being informed, that even there, the laft batch was in the oven. Some inftances are mentioned of great calmness and refignation in this diftre s. A good man, who had afked his neighbour for a difh of clams, after dinner returned thanks to God who had given him to fuck of the abundance of the feas, and of treafure hid in the fands 2.' Such were the perils, dangers, and diftreffes, which the anceftors of the prefent Americans fuftained, while their brethren, our forefathers, were repofing here on beds of down, and regaling themselves with the luxuries of opulence and plenty. The perils of their labour we reap, and enjoy all the productions of America, befides furnishing the, inhabitants with our manufactures. Their purfuit was liberty, which they gloriously obtained, and bequeathed to their pofterity; and we have too high an opinion of national justice to believe it will ever be wrefted from them. It was not until the year 1634 that our form of government began to take place among the colonifts, and the freemen to chufe their reprefentatives 3; this form they fell into of course, and it was afterwards recognized and confirmed to them by the king's charter. It was not long before the baleful spirit of fanaticism and enthusiasm excited fuch religious fchifms, as had well nigh overwhelmed the whole colony in the ruin of religious zeal and bigotted rage! And we cannot fufficiently admire the spirit and prudence of the council or government there, which, with a wife, though rigorous firmness, fuppreffed the first appearances of those diffentions in religion, which, if permitted to prevail, would have deftroyed the infant colony by its own hands. Variety in religion may perhaps be tolerated in full-grown focieties, without much injury; but surely a young community can never grow under the loffes of a continual and idle pursuit of different fectaries and preachers, and that personal hatred and animofity which, when excited by clashing opinions in religion, are of the most virulent and implacable nature. A timely and authoritative fuppreffion of fuch difputes, though termed perfecution by the exciters and maintainers of them, was certainly the falvation of the colony. The fame wisdom of the council drew their attention to the encouragement of science, and feminaries of learning. Therefore, in the year 1642, the college of Cambridge was put, fays Mr. Hutchinson, upon a more refpe&table footing than it had been. The governor, deputy-governor, and magistrates, and the minifters of the fix adjacent towns, with the prefident, were made a corporation for ordering and managing the affairs of the college; and nine young gentlemen, at a public commencement this year, received the degrees of bachelor of arts. The thefes, with a particular account of the whole proceeding, was published in England. I know of tut two extant; and as my chief defign is to preserve from oblivion every transaction which pofterity may think of any importance, I fhall give it a place in the Appendix+. Mr. Hutchinfon has given us here a copy of an act of parliament, which, as it may fhew us how differently our ancestors thought of the merits of the colonifts, and the encouragement they deferved, from what fome people feem to think, we shall lay before our readers, that they may compare the measures and difpofitions of our forefathers with those of the prefent times. The act runs thus: Whereas the plantations in New-England have, by the blefling of the Almighty, had good and profperous fuccefs, without any public charge to the ftate, and are now likely to prove very happy for the propagation of the gospel in thofe 3 4 P. 35. 110. parts, |